4
THE BATTALION
THE BATTALION
Published every Wednesday night by the Students’ Association of the Agricultural and
Mechanical College of Texas.
Subscription price $1.75 per Year.
course there is a girl, has probably long ago forgotten that the poor cadet
ever existed.
Boy! there is one little girl that has been true to her little Aggie boy and
has thoroughly resented any inference that the “old home town girl” forgets
her cadet so soon. Fellows “thars gold in them hills” so consider yourself
lucky and prove your worth of the one girl in several and hope with the oth
ers that there are more like her.
o
COLLEGE INSTRUCTORS AND PROFESSORS
ALL ADS RUN UNTIL ORDERED OUT
Accepted for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of
October 3, 1917, authorized October 18, 1922.
All undergraduates in the College are eligible to try for a place on the Editorila Staff
of this paper. Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors who are interested in journalism for
its own sake, are urged to make themselves known to some member of the Staff.
EDITORIAL STAFF
W. C. MORRIS
R. R. PEEPLES.
L. J. FRANKE ..
P. C. FARRIS ,
W. L. KENNEDY ....
T. A. P1LKEY
G. O. MOUNT
/. M. HOLMES .....
E. L. ANDREWS
W. T. COLEMAN ....
J. J. LOVING
R. H. SHUFFLER ...
H. D. MAPLES
R. O. PEARSON
E. R. LAWRENCE ..
W. C. JOHNSON ....
W. C TIMMERMAN
G. M. WRENN
J. E. HUDSON
Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
Associate Editor
Associate Editor
Associate Editor
Sports Editor
Associate Sports Editor
.. Assistant Sports Editor
News Editor
Associate News Editor
Assistant News Editor
Assistant News Editor
.... Assistant News Editor
Exchange Editor
Associate Exchange Editor
Literary Editor
.. Associate Literary Editor
..Associate Literary Editor
Cartoonist
BUSINESS STAFF
L. N. BOURLAND Business Manager
M. E. DIETERT — Assistant Business Manager
J. E. FONTAINE Circulation Manager
LEST WE FORGET
“So live that when thy summons comes” be there on time. For has it
not been said by our omnipotent arbiter of discipline, “when I say 4:15 I
mean a quarter after four.” That statement was voiced at the Senior meet
ing called by Col. Nelson. For the benefit of the underclassmen, who are
striving for that three-diamond job in the future; it is here mentioned, and
it might prove well to remember it.
Then too, there seems to be an apparently fiendish desire for some travel
loving cadets to leave the campus without a pass and spend the entire week
end meandering, sometimes aimlessly, all over this great state of Texas.
The duty of reporting any such absences falls to the company commander,
who is responsible to the commandant’s office. In order to keep the captain
out of hot water, to say nothing of self, it would be best to discontinue any
such practices and subdue that roving instinct.
No doubt we all know what a red flag means to a bull. An unbuttoned
collar, tie pulled around to one side, and rolled up sleeves is just that to one
among us and we can easily guess who it might be. The cooling effect and
self satisfaction of going about in a uniform in this manner will hardly off
set the heating effect that will ensue if the wearer is seen thus by the above
mentioned individual. Col. Nelson insists that the half-clad cadet make him
self hard to find on the A. and M. campus.
A check up on the demerits showed an astonishing thing. Over 90 per
cent of the demerits came from cutting classes. And it is preposterous to
believe that all these class cuts came of necessity. A recitation period lasts
but fifty-five minutes and the amount of work that may be done outside of
class in that time is very small compared to the benefit that may be derived
from even a single recitation. It is sometimes inevitable that we miss cer
tain classes. Granted, but those times are far in the minority, if not neg-
legible, when counting the demerits they incur. If we consider cutting classes
as entirely our own affair, we have but to consider that this is a State school.
So sleep at night and copy that written work the day before or get it in late,
and be like little Percival—never late nor absent.
There was a youth in days of yore who once a handsome slouch cap wore—
them days are gone, fellow Aggies. The Exchange Store has a nice large
shipment of cap stiffeners, and we may purchase them with the dual pur
pose of pleasing not only Mr. Chatham, but the Colonel also. And do not
forget the inevitable improvement it will make on the uniform. Everyone
abhors the idea of looking swashbuckling.
Attention has also been called to the numerous absences from formation.
Perhaps the majority of the times the absentees are not punished—by de
merits, but an absence from formation works a hardship on the top kick,
who is trying to be a good fellow and do his duty also, so out of consideration
to him, if not yourself, try to be there.
Last, but not least; table manners. As heart breaking as the revelation
that there is no Santa Claus comes the news to some of us that square peas
do not exist. Not only that but society and the Colonel says that we may
not mash them flat so that we can use that beautiful silver knife to scoop
them to our eager mouth. Use a spoon if the fork is too inconvenient; but
consider the embarrassment of having to go home because of a cut throat
due to misuse of the table hardware.
A word to the wise is sufficient. Although it may be flattery to some, it
will certainly pay each one of us to heed the words of advice, summarized
here, given to us by our commandant, Col. C. J. Nelson.
o
THE IMPOSSIBLE HAS HAPPENED
The editorial that appeared last week entitled “Holidays” was the means
of bringing the wrath of a certain young lady of Tyler down upon the heads
of all men connected with the Battalion. A letter containing the Editorial
page of the Bat was received the other day with the words False, False,
False written across the entire third paragraph reading: The girl. . . .for of
College professors and instructors are supposed to be men chosen to direct
and teach students who desire an education. Do they all teach, or do they
merely lecture to a class on some phase of the work which is not in the least
practical? Some do while others do not, but those who really teach the
student have a system of their own which cannot be obtained from any
course in education. It seems to be a friendly attitude toward the student,
working in his interest and for his future welfare. He makes his class in
teresting’ and not a bore and works the student harder, tho in a way that is
pleasing. These are instructors who are willing to listen to a student, take
his ideas, troubles, or whatever may come up, and strive to straighten him
out, and they are usually capable of doing so.
Then, there are those instructors who have a book to teach from and that
seems to be all. Should nothing but book knowledge be taught the student,
or should the book be used to make the problems of everyday life easier ?
It is obvious that some courses cannot be taught without a book, but there
are far more courses that can, and can be made more interesting. If an in
structor knows his subject he can put it over without having to follow his
book too closely, but he can know too much about his subject. I can name
more than one of this kind and they seem to do the student no good, because
they are continually talking above his head and not thinking of his un
trained mind. The subject seems so important to the instructor that he wants
his student to spend more than the alloted time preparing each daily lesson
which causes a neglect of other courses. I often wonder if some instructors
take into consideration other courses when they make their lesson assign
ments.
Couldn’t the heads of the departments be of more use to the student?
About the only time they see some student is when they are presented with
the well known yellow slip and it is too late then. Why not single out each
student, in each department, and interview him several times during his
freshman and sophomore years and find out what his aims are? Some men
come to college with no idea of what to study or follow after leaving college
and drift right on thru life in the same manner. Some realize after a year
or two that they are following the wrong course and make a change which
usually costs them an extra year or two. Some of this could be eliminated
by the co-operation of student and department heads, or deans of the dif
ferent schools. It is obvious that such a method as this would require an
enormous amount of time, but it might save some student one or two extra
years. Some boys know exactly the course they wish to study, some do not,
but want a college education. So why can’t they be helped in a way that
will mean most to them ?
SENIOR SECTION.
It seems almost impossible to pub
lish the Bat each week without hav
ing to remind some of the under
classmen of where they are infringing
on the privileges of the seniors. First,
it was the dances, next the picture
show and now comes the basketball
games with various other gripes com
ing in between. This type of article
has passed the stage when it was a
reminder with the hope of bringing
about better conditions by mention
ing irregularities in a casual manner,
and has now come to the place where
it is even disgusting to think that at
the beginning of every change of the
various activities, the underclassmen
must be reminded that a few things
are set aside in respect to the men
who are spending their last year in
the College.
For several years, the section im
mediately behind the band in the gym
nasium, has been set aside as the
Senior Section for all basketball
games. Observing from the gfames
thus far played, it would be a hard
matter for a senior to find a seat in
this section fifteen minutes before
the games are begun. You sophomores
and juniors know better and if this
does not apply to you, pass it up
and tell someone else about it. If the
“fish” do not know they should ask
and the sophomores should see that
they either ask or are told. Men it
does not look right for a senior to
have to take his seat in the isle just
because he is not down to the games
fifteen minutes before they are be
gun. Let us correct this oversight
and not have to be reminded of it
again when the baseball season opens.
STUDENT BODY TO INCREASE
MID TERM.
Indications are that the student
body of the A. & M. College of Texas
will be increased by 150 with the
opening of the second term Feb. 4, ac
cording to Dean Charles E. Friley,
registrar of the college. Such an in
crease would bring the total registra
tion for the year up to 2600.
New students who enter with the op
ening of the second term will be able
to complete the largest part of their
freshman work by remaining through
the summer session. The two new
dormitories for students, Law Hall
and Puryear Hall, are expected to be
ready for occupancy soon after the
opening of the second term. These
dormitories will add 216 new rooms to
student housing facilities and are ex
pected to aid much in relieving the
crowded conditions that prevail.
HUDSON NAMED AS STAFF
CARTOONIST FOR
BATTALION
J. Elmore Hudson, ’29, has been
named as staff cartoonist on the Bat
talion staff. Hudson is an Architec
tural student. His ability as a car
toonist has been exhibited by his draw
ing that heads the Sport page of the
Battalion and he has also drawn
many cartoons which have been used
on envelopes by various members of
the student body. This is the only
place on the staff that had not been
filled thus far and it was thought for
awhile that no cartoonist would be
used but there is a probability that
more cartoons will be used this year
when the opportunity presents itself.